ROAD RECORDS ASSOCIATION Winter NEWSLETTER 2012

AGM 2013 TIMEKEEPERS, OBSERVERS, and The AGM will be held on Friday the 22nd of COURSE MEASURERS The current lists of Timekeepers, Observers and Course February at The 52 Club, Gower Street, Measurers is getting rather short. , WC1E 6EB. The Committee would like to invite Members to apply for All propositions to change Rules must be any of these positions. Perhaps some of you know of someone, not in the RRA, sent to the General Secretary no later than but very able to do either job. We are particularly inter- 31st December 2012. ested in trying to find some new people to fill these places. ILLNESS Please note that the job of Observer can often entail President Den Mills suffered a mild heart attack and following and reporting on a record attempt at all other complications in September, resulting in several times, as well as just the start and finish. It is not the same as a Checker, who would normally be at the days in hospital. He was sent home and told to rest and road-side. take it easy. No easy task. Any current Timekeepers and Observers who would pre- Committee members Audrey Hughes and Bob fer not to be on any of the above lists would you please Williams have both been unwell recently. notify the General Secretary before March 31st 2013. Early in November, Den suffered another heart attack, this time it seems he was already in hospital at the time NEWSLETTER & AGM by E-MAIL and there were no other complications . The RRA is keen to communicate with its membership by I am sure everyone joins me in wishing all three a e-mail. Many thanks to all those who have already signed speedy return to good health. up to receive the newsletter electronically. You are all helping to make my job easier as General Secretary. OBITUARIES If you would be prepared to receive communications in Please see reverse and separate sheet . this way. which could also include items relating to the AGM, plus the added bonus of receiving record attempt RECORD BREAKING updates as they take place, you are encouraged to con- The End–End attempt, 2088, by Dominic Irvine & Ian tact the secretary at the e-mail address below. Rodd failed. They were 90 minutes down at Shap Sum- E-mail allows a quicker and more efficient service, but is mit, with the weather turning against them. They did, quite optional, and the paper alternative is still available. however, continue to finish for the hospital charity, all be it some 8 hours down on their schedule. IF YOU WISH TO BE ADDED TO THE LIST WILL YOU PLEASE E-MAIL THE GENERAL SECRETARY AT:- [email protected] The End–End attempt by Emma Williams and Natalie Creswick has been postponed until July 2013 due to RRA website. injury. This has been updated with latest information and some

There is also a possible S2S next year. pictures from the Triennial Luncheon. 2013 looks like being a busy year. Some Obituaries have also been added.

PRESIDENT OUTSTANDING SUBS Den Mills tel: 01494 763159 Will all members who have not yet paid their subs for 12 Latimer Close, Little Chalfont, Amersham, HP6 6QS 2012 or any previous years please send them to Tim or the General Secretary as soon as possible. CHAIRMAN Mike Johnson tel: 01270 780093 ALL MEMBERS AND CLUBS 5 The Green, Wrenbury If you move, have a new phone number, change of club Nantwich, CW5 8EY secretary or Treasurer, or new e-mail address, please remember to notify the General Sec retary. GENERAL AND RECORD SECRETARY Brian Edrupt. tel: 01992 762121 NEW POSTAGE COSTS e-mail [email protected] The new postal charges have meant increased costs to 136 Beaconsfield Road, Enfield, EN3 6AY the Association. Can I please ask that any Members who have not yet signed up to receive the Newsletter, TREASURER AGM and other information by email to please do so. Tim Dadswell tel: 01483 283275 Please note that I am also happy to send the Handbook E-mail [email protected] by email. Rather than separate page updates, you would receive a complete new copy. All you would then COMMITTEE have to do is delete the old copy. Ralph Dadswell, Alan Davie, Jean Edrupt, Audrey The more Members that sign up to email, the less Hughes, Keith Robins, John Taylor, Bob Williams. chance of any increase in subs. OBITUARIES

Rocco Richardson Rocco Richardson, Willesden CC, sadly passed away on 13th June 2012 after a long battle with illness. He was a life member of the Willesden CC. The funeral was at Ruislip Cremato- rium on 22nd June. (Willesden CC)

Alec Owen Wingrave The funeral of Alec Owen Wingrave took place on July 24 th with the Chapel filled with family and many friends from the cycling world. The Submariners’ Association mounted a Guard of Honour and two of Alec’s great grandsons carried his Wartime Medals. Everyone present felt proud to have known “chef” – a great cycling character.

Alec began cycling as a teenager in Hampshire, signing up for the Royal Navy at the outbreak of WW2 becoming a chef aboard submarines. He saw active service, the most perilous being supporting the Arctic Convoys where many lives were lost. The survivors were given the elite status of wearing the coveted “white beret” and Alec was proud to wear his on the many occa- sions he marched at the Cenotaph. He made light of his exploits, however, preferring to talk about his favourite class of submarine with a hatch large enough to take a 26” wheel so that he could dismantle his bike and stow it aboard.

In 1942 Alec married Agnes, a young Scottish girl who was in the WRENs. After the war they made their home in Carshalton and celebrated their 70 th Wedding Anniversary this year with their son and daughter, six grandchildren and sixteen great grandchildren.

Alec kept fit by cycling to work at Odhams Press in London where he became a Union repre- sentative. However, his main interest was the Redmon Cycling Club where he held all posts up to President in his sixty years as a member. An active racing man, a time-keeper as well as serving on many local and national committees, he was also elected to the exclusive “Pedal Club”. He held all of the Club Vet’s records, two Southern R.R.A. records and the R.R.A. /London on a Tandem-trike , and also acted as Publicity Officer of the R.R.A. from 1976 to 1991. In addition he found time to become an accredited Football Association Junior Referee and also a Registered Toastmaster.

Alec helped to bring the continental style Grand Prix des Gentlemen into the UK and the Red- mon C.C. continues to promote this as an annual event. In 2003 it was won by Sean Yates paced by a young . Alec’s eventful life made him popular as an after-dinner speaker at Cycling Clubs and Naval Clubs. Even the Imperial War Museum recorded Alec’s war experiences for posterity. He was, indeed, a special character in the cycling world who will be sadly missed.

(Eric Osborn Redmon CC)

Ray Booty Ray Booty (Ericsson Wheelers) passed away in his sleep after a long battle with cancer. He broke the RTTC 100 mile record in the 1956 national championship with 4h 1m 52s. The next event was the Bath Road '100' on Bank Holiday Monday 6 August 1956. The course was west of Reading , through Theale , Pangbourne , Wallingford , Shillingford , Abingdon and back down the A4 to finish near where it started. Booty rode a Raleigh bicycle with an 84- inch fixed gear to 3h 58m 28s. Second was Stan Brittain, who would finish second in the fa- mous international stage race, the Peace Race in Eastern Europe the following year. Double Milk Race winner Bill Bradley was fifth fastest, while Alan Jackson, the Olympic bronze med- allist at Melbourne was sixth; with future Giro d'Italia stage winner Vin Denson fourteenth. Ray had ridden from Nottingham to the start the day before - 100 miles. For his race he was awarded a medal by Cycling and a certificate from the RTTC .

He first broke the 100 miles record in 1955, lowering it to 4:04:30. He broke it three times. He twice broke the 12 hour record: 265.66 miles in 1956 and 266.00 miles the following year. And in 1958, he became Commonwealth Games road race champion at . Ray Booty won the season-long British Best All-Rounder competition three times from 1955 to 1957. He was 100-mile champion from 1955 to 1959 and 12-hour champion from 1954 to 1958.

In September 1956 he broke the RRA 100-mile record with 3h 28m 40s. The record stood for 34 years. He won the gold medal in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games road race in Cardiff . He won a bronze medal in the national championship road race in the same year. He also won the Manx International road race. He was awarded the F. T. Bidlake Memorial Prize in 1956. The citation read: Raymond Charles Booty For his superlative ride of 3 hrs. 58 mins. 28 secs. in the Bath Road Hundred of 1956, this being the first time one hundred miles had ever been ridden on a bicycle, out and home, inside four hours

Ken Sheridan I am very sad to inform you that Ken Sheridan, Eileen's husband passed away on Tuesday 4th September. Ken had been unwell for several months with Eileen looking after him. They had been married for 70 years. (Eileen Sheridan) Leonard C. Young 18-11-1926 to 17-9-2012

Len Young, RRA Life Member and current holder of the RRA London to tandem bicycle record with Ray Needle since 1950, died peacefully in hospital on 17 th September at the age of 85. His wife predeceased him and he is survived by his two sons and five grandchildren.

Len joined the Peterborough CC in 1948, after three years National Service with the Royal Navy. He was awarded life membership of the club in 1975. He won the Club Championship for the best all-round performance at 25, 50, 100 miles and 12 hours in 1951 and 1952. He held the club 100 mile record in 1951 and the 12 hour record in 1951/52. He served as Press Secre- tary, Time Trials Secretary, Timekeeper, Treasurer and Auditor (both 7 years), and President (9 years) and maintained a close association with the club until his death.

(Ray Needle) Leslie Victor Reason 4-10-1919 to 5-8-2012

It was with deep regret I learned of the passing of Les Reason, one of the strongest person- alities of my club, the South Bucks DA and the South Bucks RC. When I first joined in 1952, we were regularly referred to as Les Reason's Mob and to my novice eyes he had obviously been everywhere and done everything cycling.

In fact he was born in Middlesex of Wiltshire stock and became an architect and surveyor and finally a draughtsman with the Gas Board at Watford. He first took up serious cycling in 1935 when already interested in maps and the countryside and joined the CTC in 1937, the South Bucks in 1938 as well as the YHA. He was also a member of the Hemel Hempstead CC and Watford RCC in the war years and the Dragon RC for another five years, also the Vegetarian C&AC, the TA, where he proposed the formation of the Thames Valley TA in 1954 and the Ramblers Association. Later he joined the FCOT and was very proud to become President and Chairman.

His organising abilities were well used by the South Bucks, as clubroom organiser for the Central Section from 1945, runs secretary for both Centrals and Aylesbury sections and DA Committee member for some 13 years as well as organising every possible kind of event. As founder in 1947 and later President of the South Bucks RC Les was instrumental in ex- panding its outlook to cover events from 25 miles to12 Hours to give members a chance to be able to put their rides on an entry form in order to qualify for a place in an open event. The 12 Hour became a Semi-open to give the opportunity to ride a "12" to assorted riders from "local clubs", a fairly elastic definition, which led to a hard day's marshalling the 70+ points on our complex course. He himself rode most distances with moderate success, but was particularly proud of his trike club record of 200 miles and a long standing bike record of 1.2.47 for a "25". One of his strongest opinions was that the club should be purely for Time Trials which led to some dismay amongst young riders who had tasted the forbidden fruits of the BLRC.

Les was an adventurous long distance rider in his youth, leaving Saturday rides after tea with a hard riding group to head for distant Youth Hostels, for example tea at Waddesdon, bed at Warwick. During the war he organised night rides for those Aylesburys who worked on Satur- days, as well as hostel weekends. His interest in maps and in the countryside made him an ideal rides leader.

Another strong interest was railways. He would cycle long distances to see a famous engine pass by and, being of a persuasive nature, organised consecutive club rides in the appropri- ate direction to bring home a very heavy engine number plate. It had to be hidden in ditches to await the next collection party and ended up in pride of place at home in Croxley Green. He also owned a beautifully laid out model railway system in his shed at Holt.

He married Faith in 1946 and they continued to ride regularly on solos and tandem until the arrival of Heather and later Jenny, both of whom were brought up with a love of cycling and eventually married cyclists. After Faith's death he decided to move to Norfolk in 1983, where he lived with his second wife, Win, keeping in touch with things South Bucks as well as en- joying some cycling in Norfolk and life in a different community. Les was a man of strong opinions, an active life and varied interests, hobbies including photography, gardening, bird watching, reading, poetry, listening to music (and wishing he could play) as well as cycling. He disliked the exploitation of wild creatures, arterial roads, the drift from the land and, I sup- pose, the BLRC. To my mind he was a one off, a rarity and an honour and a pleasure to have known.

(Audrey Hughes)